Anastasius Suru (Uzun Duvar)

The Anastasian Wall is a long defensive line drawn from the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara in the Byzantine period to protect Istanbul against attacks coming from Thrace. Sixth century writers and later sources call it the Long Wall. The wall takes its name from the Byzantine Emperor Anastasius I, who reigned between 491 and 518. According to the sources, the emperor built or renewed the wall between 507 and 512, while the Çatalca District Governorship gives the years 507 to 511. English language sources also note evidence that a fortification already existed on this line in 469 under Emperor Leo I and in 478 under Zeno. According to Procopius, writing in the sixth century, the wall built about 65 kilometres from the city was very long, was not strong enough because it had been built in haste, and required a large force of soldiers to guard it. The sources give different figures for the length of the wall. The English Wikipedia writes that the wall was originally about 56 kilometres long. Feridun Dirimtekin's calculation, on the other hand, is about 52 kilometres. The Çatalca District Governorship gives a length of 45 kilometres and states that a 22 kilometre stretch of it still stands today. The wall begins on the Black Sea coast at a place called Evcik İskelesi, runs west for a short distance, then turns southwest and reaches Hisartepe. From there it passes near Karacaköy, crosses several streams and descends southward along the road between Kurfallı and Gümüşpınar. Running through Kurfallı, the line continues west of the village of Fener and reaches the Marmara coast at Karınca Burnu, west of Silivri. English language sources state that remains can be seen today at the Gümüşpınar junction in Karacaköy, at Hisartepe in Yalıköy, at Pınarca in İhsaniye and in the village of Kurfallı. The wall was 3.3 metres thick and more than 5 metres high. Its outer faces were clad in cut stone, and the core was filled with rubble bound with Roman style lime mortar. The use of different techniques and materials in some places is regarded as a trace of repairs carried out in later periods. Along the line there were towers, gates, forts, ditches and a military road. Since it was impossible to keep soldiers on the wall permanently, barracks and camps were set up behind it; the camp near Karacaköy measures about 250 by 300 metres. At the crossing points there were gate fortifications with a rectangular plan, and one could only pass from outside to inside through these small courtyards. Local people gave the name bedesten to these gate structures, which appear to have had towers at their corners. A fairly well preserved section was measured at a place called Arabacı Kapısı, where a stretch of about 30 metres survived more than 5 metres high and 3.15 metres thick. The sources write that the wall did not do the job expected of it in defending Istanbul and that raids from the west crossed it many times. Defending the long line in full with a limited garrison was difficult, and the hastily built wall was not solid enough. While English language sources say the wall was abandoned in the seventh century, the Turkish source reports that repairs continued until the tenth or eleventh century. Over the centuries most of its stone was reused in new buildings in the surrounding villages. In his Book of Travels, Evliya Çelebi describes how the towers, foundations and ditches could still be made out from Silivri to Terkos, and how the inns and public kitchens of nearby villages were built with the stones of this wall. The gate fortifications that the German researcher Schuchhardt found in good condition in 1898 were later destroyed. The best preserved section of the wall today lies in the wooded areas of the north. Seeing the wall today calls for a planned trip, because most of the remains lie inside the forest and away from village roads. The easiest starting point is the area around Karacaköy and Gümüşpınar, which the sources also point to. Here the face of the wall, built of large cut stones, can be followed through the dense vegetation. Since the remains are a historic structure that must be protected, do not climb the wall or damage the stones. It is possible to come to central Çatalca by bus and use the lines that run from there to the villages, but reaching the remains often requires a vehicle and some walking. For the wooded sections it is right to set out with closed shoes, water and an offline map, and to wear long trousers against the thorny shrubs. The Kurşun Germe and Ballı Germe aqueducts mentioned by the District Governorship are also near Gümüşpınar and can be seen in the same area. To the north, the Black Sea beaches of Yalıköy and Çilingoz lie close to the shore where the wall meets the sea.